This is our last day on the Wild Atlantic Way, and our last day in Ireland. It is back down to Dublin tonight, and a plane in the morning. We had to make today count, and did we ever. We warmed up with two quick stops.
Lisfannon Beach on Lough Swilly is in a natural heritage area. It is an important wetlands site for birds. Meanwhile, a short walk away is Fahan Wood, noted for oak, hazel and rowan. The beach itself is a big site for vacationers and it offers some lovely views.
Near here you can sail in some of the same seas that Englishman John Newton sailed, and survived. Born in 1725, Newton went to sea at age 11 with his father. In 1743, he was pressed into the Royal Navy. He got involved in the slave trade, became a slave himself in Africa. Rescued and brought home, he eventually captained several slave ships himself. Along the way, he found his faith. The story goes that he encountered a bad storm in the waters near here, and that was part of the personal catalyst. It was a bit of a slow burn for him, but he eventually became an English evangelical Anglican cleric and abolitionist. He stared hard into what had been some moral blind spots, and wrote a tract apologizing for his role in the slave trade that became popular enough to require reprinting. He also wrote hymns, including Amazing Grace.
The British Empire ended their role in the African slave trade in 1807, just months before Newton’s death.
